Quiet trails · Manaslu & Tsum
Manaslu Circuit expedition
- 15 daysDuration
- 5,106 mHighest point
- ChallengingDifficulty
- ★ 4.974 reviews
A full circumnavigation of an eight-thousander, through a restricted area where solo trekking is not permitted and the numbers stay low.
Manaslu is the eighth-highest mountain in the world and this route goes all the way around it, from subtropical river gorge at 700 m to a 5,106 m pass in fifteen days. The restricted-area permit keeps the traffic to a fraction of the Annapurna Circuit.
The lower Budhi Gandaki is the drama: a gorge cut so deep that the trail is carved into the cliff in places, crossing the river on suspension bridges again and again. Above Namrung the culture shifts to Tibetan, and by Sama Gaon you are in a different country in everything but name.
- Larke La, 5,106 m, with a panorama over Himlung and Cheo Himal
- Sama Gaon and the side walk to Manaslu Base Camp
- The Budhi Gandaki gorge, cut into cliffs for two days
- Birendra Lake, glacier-fed and startlingly turquoise
The essentials
- Duration
- 15 days
- Highest point
- 5,106 m
- Group size
- Max 10
- Style
- Remote lodge trek
- Starts and ends
- Kathmandu to Kathmandu
- Best season
- Mar–Apr · Oct–Nov
- Accommodation
- 13 nights in simple lodges, 1 night in a Kathmandu hotel
- Meals
- All breakfasts, lunches and dinners on trek
- Transport
- Private vehicle to Machha Khola, jeep and bus out from Dharapani
- Permits
- Manaslu restricted-area permit (licensed guide and two trekkers minimum) + MCAP + ACAP
The shape of the journey
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
- 11
- 12
- 13
- 14
- 15
When to walk it
A short season either side of the monsoon. Larke La holds snow into April and closes early in December.
- J
- F
- M
- A
- M
- J
- J
- A
- S
- O
- N
- D
- Prime
- Shoulder
- Closed
Day by day
15 days, as they are actually walked. Your guide may reorder a day for weather — that is the point of having one.
-
1
Arrive in Kathmandu
Transfer and briefing. Restricted-area permits are processed today, so passports stay with the office overnight.
- 1,400 m
- Kathmandu hotel
- Dinner
-
2
Drive to Machha Khola
Nine hours west and then north on deteriorating road, following the Budhi Gandaki upstream.
- 900 m
- 9 hr drive
- Machha Khola lodge
- All meals
-
3
Machha Khola to Jagat
Into the gorge with hot springs at Tatopani en route, and the restricted-area checkpost at Jagat.
- 1,340 m
- 22 km
- 7 hr
- Jagat lodge
- All meals
-
4
Jagat to Deng
The narrowest section of the gorge, with the trail cut into the rock and the river a long way below.
- 1,860 m
- 20 km
- 7 hr
- Deng lodge
- All meals
-
5
Deng to Namrung
The valley opens, mani walls start appearing, and the architecture turns Tibetan within a single afternoon.
- 2,630 m
- 19 km
- 7 hr
- Namrung lodge
- All meals
-
6
Namrung to Lho
First full view of Manaslu from the ridge above Lho, with Ribung Gompa above the village.
- 3,180 m
- 11 km
- 5 hr
- Lho lodge
- All meals
-
7
Lho to Sama Gaon
A short day into the largest village on the route, sitting under the south face of Manaslu.
- 3,530 m
- 9 km
- 4 hr
- Sama Gaon lodge
- All meals
-
8
Acclimatisation at Sama Gaon
Up to Manaslu Base Camp at 4,800 m, or the gentler option to Birendra Lake and Pungyen Gompa.
- 3,530 m
- 12 km
- 6 hr
- Sama Gaon lodge
- All meals
-
9
Sama Gaon to Samdo
Two and a half hours to the last permanent village in Nepal before the Tibetan border.
- 3,860 m
- 8 km
- 4 hr
- Samdo lodge
- All meals
-
10
Acclimatisation at Samdo
A walk towards the old trading pass to the border and back, for altitude rather than distance.
- 3,860 m
- 8 km
- 5 hr
- Samdo lodge
- All meals
-
11
Samdo to Dharamsala
Three hours to a single stone shelter at 4,460 m. Basic, cold, and the only option before the pass.
- 4,460 m
- 7 km
- 4 hr
- Dharamsala hut
- All meals
-
12
Larke La to Bimthang
A four-in-the-morning start, five hours to the pass, then a very long descent onto the moraine and into Bimthang.
- 3,590 m
- 24 km
- 9–10 hr
- Bimthang lodge
- All meals
-
13
Bimthang to Dharapani
Down through rhododendron and pine into the Marsyangdi valley, joining the Annapurna Circuit at the bottom.
- 1,960 m
- 25 km
- 8 hr
- Dharapani lodge
- All meals
-
14
Drive to Kathmandu
Jeep to Besisahar, then the highway east. A farewell dinner in the city.
- 1,400 m
- 9 hr drive
- Kathmandu hotel
- Breakfast, dinner
-
15
Departure
Airport transfer, or a spare day if the road out was slow.
- 1,400 m
- Breakfast
Is this trip for you?
Long days on rough ground with a 5,106 m pass near the end. Lodges are simpler than Everest or Annapurna and the walking is less forgiving.
What is included
Included
- Licensed NMA guide and porter support (one porter per two travellers)
- Manaslu restricted-area permit, MCAP and ACAP
- All ground transport including the jeep out from Dharapani
- Lodge accommodation on trek and two nights in Kathmandu
- All meals on trek plus tea and coffee
- Guide and porter insurance, wages and equipment
- Group first-aid kit, pulse oximeter and satellite communicator
Not included
- International flights and Nepal visa
- Travel and evacuation insurance (mandatory, to 6,000 m)
- Tsum Valley extension permit if you add it
- Hot showers, charging and wifi in lodges
- Personal equipment, drinks and tips
What to bring
- Four-season sleeping bag rated to −15 °C
- Broken-in boots and trekking poles
- Down jacket and waterproof shell
- Windproof layer and warm gloves for the pass
- Microspikes if travelling in March or November
- Headtorch with spare batteries
- 35–40 litre daypack
- Water treatment
Demo photography, from the region rather than this departure. Every image is CC0 or public domain.
Departures
20% deposit confirms your place. Balance due 45 days before departure.
| Dates | Availability | Price | Book |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 Oct – 16 Oct 2026 | Few places left · 2 left | $2,320 | |
| 23 Oct – 6 Nov 2026 | Places open | $2,320 | |
| 27 Mar – 10 Apr 2027 | Places open | $2,220 | |
| 17 Apr – 1 May 2027 | Places open | $2,320 |
Your guide
Guide profiles are fictional. The photographs beside them show the terrain each guide works in — they do not depict the people described.
What travellers said
★ 4.9 from 74 fictional demo reviews.
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★★★★★
What Annapurna used to be
Two days without seeing another group. Larke La in a whiteout was the hardest thing I have done and Karma turned us around at exactly the right moment on the acclimatisation walk.
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★★★★★
The gorge
Everyone photographs the pass. The two days in the Budhi Gandaki cliffs are the part I describe to people.
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★★★★★
Simple lodges, serious mountains
Do not come expecting Namche comfort. Come expecting the eighth-highest mountain in the world with nobody in front of you.
Things to know
Why does this cost more than the Annapurna Circuit?
The restricted-area permit is USD 100 per week per person in season, the road access at both ends is longer, and lodges in the middle of the route buy everything in by mule.
Can I trek Manaslu solo?
No. The permit requires a licensed guide and a minimum of two trekkers, and the checkposts at Jagat and Samdo enforce it. If you are travelling alone we pair you with the group departure.
How basic is Dharamsala?
One stone building, dormitory bunks, a shared dining room and no heating. It is one night at 4,460 m before the pass, and it is the reason a warm sleeping bag is on the kit list rather than a suggestion.
What about the Tsum Valley?
It adds six days from Lokpa and needs its own permit. It is the single best cultural detour in the Nepal Himalaya and we run it as an extended twenty-one-day departure twice a year.
You might also consider
Close relatives.
Same region or same spirit, different commitment.
Not quite right?
We will build it around you.
Different dates, a shorter version, a family pace or a route that is not on this site. Private departures start at the same price as scheduled ones.